Functional dependence as a contributing factor for patient hand contamination by multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs) in acute care.

OBJECTIVE: Patient hands' contribution to disease transmission in healthcare settings is an important, understudied topic. We assessed correlation between patient functional dependence and hand contamination with multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs) in acute-care settings. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: Secondary, cross-sectional analyses of 399 general medicine patients enrolled in two tertiary-care hospitals over a six-month period. Our predictor was patient functional status evaluated using Katz Activities of Daily Living scale, scored as follows: functionally independent (scored 0), moderately dependent (score 1-3), and severely dependent (score of 4 or more). Our outcome was patient hand contamination with MDROs, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, and resistant gram-negative bacteria. RESULTS: Of 399 patients, 298 were functionally independent, 45 were moderately dependent, and 56 were severely dependent. Odds of MDRO hand contamination were 2.63 (95% CI, 1.21-5.72) times higher in the severely dependent category compared to the independent category. Patients with feeding dependence had the highest odds of hand contamination with MDROs (OR 4.76, 95% CI, 1.54-14.71), followed by continence, dressing, and toileting. In addition to patient colonization, environmental contamination with MRSA was associated with patient function, with odds 2.60 (95% CI, 1.16-5.82) times higher in severely dependent patients. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with severe functional dependence are more likely to harbor MDROs on their hands and less likely to be able to cleanse them independently. Functionally dependent patients have high room contamination with MDROs. Patient hand hygiene interventions in the hospital should target this high-risk group.

Emergency department returns and early follow-up visits after heart failure hospitalization: Cohort study examining the role of race.

Health disparities in heart failure (HF) show that Black patients face greater ED utilization and worse clinical outcomes. Transitional care post-HF hospitalization, such as 7-day early follow-up visits, may prevent ED returns. We examine whether early follow-up is associated with lower ED returns visits within 30 days and whether Black race is associated with receiving early follow-up after HF hospitalization. This was a retrospective cohort analysis of all Black and White adult patients at 13 hospitals in Michigan hospitalized for HF from October 1, 2017, to September 30, 2020. Adjusted risk ratios (aRR) were estimated from multivariable logistic regressions. The analytic sample comprised 6,493 patients (mean age = 71 years (SD 15), 50% female, 37% Black, 9% Medicaid). Ten percent had an ED return within 30 days and almost half (43%) of patients had 7-day early follow-up. Patients with early follow-up had lower risk of ED returns (aRR 0.85 [95%CI, 0.71-0.98]). Regarding rates of early follow-up, there was no overall adjusted association with Black race, but the following variables were related to lower follow-up: Medicaid insurance (aRR 0.90 [95%CI, 0.80-1.00]), dialysis (aRR 0.86 [95%CI, 0.77-0.96]), depression (aRR 0.92 [95%CI, 0.86-0.98]), and discharged with opioids (aRR 0.94 [95%CI, 0.88-1.00]). When considering a hospital-level interaction, three of the 13 sites with the lowest percentage of Black patients had lower rates of early follow-up in Black patients (ranging from 15% to 55% reduced likelihood). Early follow-up visits were associated with a lower likelihood of ED returns for HF patients. Despite this potentially protective association, certain patient factors were associated with being less likely to receive scheduled follow-up visits. Hospitals with lower percentages of Black patients had lower rates of early follow-up for Black patients. Together, these may represent missed opportunities to intervene in high-risk groups to prevent ED returns in patients with HF.

Patient Perspectives on Care Transitions From Hospital to Home.

Importance: Understanding the patient's perspective of their care transition process from hospital or skilled nursing facility (SNF) to home may highlight gaps in care and inform system improvements. Objective: To gather data about patients' care transition experiences and factors associated with follow-up appointment completion. Design, Setting, and Participants: A survey tool was developed with input from patient advisors and organizations participating in a collaborative quality initiative. Seventeen hospitals, 12 practitioner organizations, and 6 SNFs in Michigan collaborated to identify shared patients who were aged 18 years and older, had a working telephone number, recently returned home or to an assisted living facility with a diagnosis of congestive heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or after an SNF stay. Using consecutive sampling, interviewers collected 5 telephone surveys per month. From October 2018 to December 2019, patients or caregivers were surveyed via telephone 8 to 12 days after discharge from a hospital or SNF. Data were analyzed from March 2020 to January 2022. Exposure: Care transition experiences. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was to identify patient-perceived gaps during care transition experiences, including postdischarge follow-up. Results: On the basis of pilot data, the response rate was estimated at 34%, yielding 1257 surveys. Of 1257 survey respondents (mean [SD] age, 70 [12.94] years for 968 patients for whom age data was available), 654 (52%) were female; 829 (74%) were White, 250 (22%) were Black or African American, and 40 (4%) were another race. Eleven percent of patients reported not receiving a telephone number to call for postdischarge questions. Nearly 80% of patients (977 patients) received a follow-up telephone call, and most found it valuable. Twenty percent of patients (255 patients) reported at least 1 social determinant of health issue. Lack of transportation was associated with reduced likelihood of completing a follow-up visit, decreasing the odds of completing a follow-up by nearly 70% (odds ratio [OR], 0.31; 95% CI, 0.18-0.53; P < .001). Compared with other patient groups, Black patients were less likely to report completing a postdischarge follow-up visit (OR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.36-0.67; P < .001) or to receive prescribed medical equipment (OR, 4.23; 95% CI, 1.30-13.83; P = .02). Conclusions and Relevance: An examination of patient discharge experiences from a hospital or SNF identified inconsistencies in care transition processes, social determinants of health issues needing to be addressed after discharge, and racial disparities between patients who attend follow-up appointments. Physicians should be aware of these findings and their consequences for patient experiences.

Association of Population Screening for Breast Cancer Risk With Use of Mammography Among Women in Medically Underserved Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups.

Importance: Black women bear a disproportionate burden of breast cancer mortality in the US, in part due to inequities in the use of mammography. Population screening for breast cancer risk in primary care is a promising strategy for mitigating breast cancer disparities, but it is unknown whether this strategy would be associated with increased mammography rates in underserved women of racial and ethnic minority groups. Objective: To examine whether providing individualized breast cancer risk estimates is associated with an increase in the rate of screening mammography. Design, Setting, and Participants: A cohort study was conducted in women receiving individualized risk estimates as part of routine primary health care at federally qualified health centers in medically underserved communities in Chicago, Illinois. The study was conducted from November 5, 2013, to December 19, 2014, with data acquisition completed on March 5, 2017; data analysis was performed from December 30, 2020, to February 2, 2021. A total of 347 women aged 25 to 69 years without a personal history of breast cancer presenting for an annual visit with their primary care clinician were enrolled. Exposures: Breast cancer risk estimates were obtained with validated risk assessment tools as a standard component of the clinic check-in process. One of 4 women at average risk and all women at high risk were invited to participate in the study. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was the mammography rate during 18 months of usual care compared with the rate during 18 months after implementation of risk assessment. Results: Of the 347 women enrolled, 188 were age-eligible for mammography and were included in the analysis (mean [SD] age, 50.8 [7.04] years); 70 women (37.2%) were Hispanic, 114 (60.6%) were non-Hispanic African American, and 4 (2.1%) were from other racial and ethnic groups (4 non-Hispanic White women). Ninety-eight women (52.1%) had an average risk of developing breast cancer and 90 (47.9%) were at high risk. Overall, there was a nonsignificant increase in the mammography rate, from 38.8% during usual care to 48.9% following implementation of risk assessment (odds ratio, 1.37; 95% CI, 0.92-2.03). In preplanned subgroup analysis, the mammography rate among women at high risk was significantly higher after vs before risk assessment (51.1% vs 36.6%; odds ratio, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.10-3.23). Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, providing individualized breast cancer risk estimates as a component of primary health care in federally qualified health centers was associated with increased use of mammography among women of racial and ethnic minority groups who were at high risk. Implementation of this approach in underserved communities could promote equity in the use of mammography and reduce racial disparities in breast cancer mortality. This strategy warrants further investigation.

Multilevel Examination of Health Disparity: The Role of Policy Implementation in Neighborhood Context, in Patient Resources, and in Healthcare Facilities on Later Stage of Breast Cancer Diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: There is a substantial racial/ethnic disparity in female breast cancer mortality in Chicago between non-Hispanic black (NHblack) and Hispanic patients compared with their non-Hispanic white (NHwhite) counterparts. This observation prompted a multilevel examination of factors that might account for the disparity, with the goal of identifying potential policy interventions that might meaningfully address it METHODS: In the Breast Cancer Care in Chicago study, 411 NHblack, 397 NHwhite, and 181 Hispanic patients diagnosed between the ages of 30 and 79 were interviewed, and medical records were abstracted for information on screening and diagnostic follow-up. We conducted a multilevel analysis to assess the role of neighborhood context, patient resources, facility characteristics, and mode of detection in determining the disparity in later stage at diagnosis. RESULTS: After adjustment for neighborhood context, mode of detection, and facility accreditation/resources, there was no significant disparity in later stage breast cancer diagnosis between NHblack or Hispanic patients compared with NHwhite patients. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that racial/ethnic differences in mode of detection and facility accreditation/resources account for most of the disparity in stage at diagnosis. Understanding the causes of differential screen detection and access to highly accredited facilities could inform interventions to meaningfully address this disparity. IMPACT: Multilevel approaches to studying health disparities are becoming the research standard for understanding and addressing health disparities. Optimal design of multilevel interventions addressing disparities in later stage diagnosis would benefit from enhanced understanding of pathways to detection and diagnosis available to patients in medically underserved communities.

A feasibility study of breast cancer genetic risk assessment in a federally qualified health center.

BACKGROUND: The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) endorses routine screening for genetic risk of breast and/or ovarian cancer as a component of primary health care. Implementation of this recommendation may prove challenging, especially in clinics serving disadvantaged communities. METHODS: The authors tested the feasibility of implementing the USPSTF mandate at a federally qualified health center (FQHC) to identify women who were eligible for genetic counseling (GC). A 12-month usual-care phase was followed by a 12-month intervention phase, during which time cancer genetic risk assessment (CGRA) was systematically performed for all women aged 25 to 69 years who presented for an annual examination. Women who were eligible for GC were recruited to participate in the study. RESULTS: After initiating CGRA, 112 women who were eligible for GC consented to study participation, and 56% of them received a referral for GC from their primary care physician. A subgroup of 50 participants were seen by the same primary care physician during both the usual-care and intervention phases. None of these patients was referred for GC during usual care, compared with 64% after the initiation of CGRA (P < .001). Only 16% of referred participants attended a GC session. CONCLUSIONS: Implementing USPSTF recommendations for CGRA as a standard component of primary health care in FQHCs is feasible and improves referral of minority women for GC, but more work is needed to understand the beliefs and barriers that prevent many underserved women from accessing cancer genetic services.

Racial Disparities in Breast Cancer Survival: The Mediating Effects of Macro-Social Context and Social Network Factors.

This study attempts to clarify the associations between macro-social and social network factors and the continuing racial disparities in breast cancer survival. The study improves on prior methodologies by using a neighborhood disadvantage measure that assesses both economic and social disadvantage and an ego-network measurement tool that assesses key social network characteristics. Our population-based sample included 786 breast cancer patients (nHWhite=388; nHBlack=398) diagnosed during 2005-2008 in Chicago, IL. The data included census-derived macro-social context, self-reported social network, self-reported demographic and medically abstracted health measures. Mortality data from the National Death Index (NDI) were used to determine 5-year survival. Based on our findings, neighborhood concentrated disadvantage was negatively associated with survival among nHBlack and nHWhite breast cancer patients. In unadjusted models, social network size, network density, practical support, and financial support were positively associated with 5-year survival. However, in adjusted models only practical support was associated with 5-year survival. Our findings suggested that the association between network size and breast cancer survival is sensitive to scaling of the network measure, which helps to explain inconsistencies in past findings. Social networks of nHWhites and nHBlacks differed in size, social support dimensions, network density, and geographic proximity. Among social factors, residence in disadvantaged neighborhoods and unmet practical support explained some of the racial disparity in survival. Differences in late stage diagnosis and comorbidities between nHWhites and nHBlacks also explained some of the racial disparity in survival. Our findings highlight the relevance of social factors, both macro and inter-personal in the racial disparity in breast cancer survival. Findings suggest that reduced survival of nHBlack women is in part due to low social network resources and residence in socially and economically deprived neighborhoods. To improve survival among breast cancer patients social policies need to continue improving health care access as well as racially patterned social and economic disadvantage.

Patient Navigation Improves Subsequent Breast Cancer Screening After a Noncancerous Result: Evidence from the Patient Navigation in Medically Underserved Areas Study.

BACKGROUND: Past efforts to assess patient navigation on cancer screening utilization have focused on one-time uptake, which may not be sufficient in the long term. This is partially due to limited resources for in-person, longitudinal patient navigation. We examine the effectiveness of a low-intensity phone- and mail-based navigation on multiple screening episodes with a focus on screening uptake after receiving noncancerous results during a previous screening episode. METHODS: The is a secondary analysis of patients who participated in a randomized controlled patient navigation trial in Chicago. Participants include women referred for a screening mammogram, aged 50-74 years, and with a history of benign/normal screening results. Navigation services focused on identification of barriers and intervention via shared decision-making processes. A multivariable logistic regression intent-to-treat model was used to examine differences in odds of obtaining a screening mammogram within 2 years of the initial mammogram (yes/no) between navigated and non-navigated women. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to explore patterns across subsets of participants (e.g., navigated women successfully contacted before the initial appointment; women receiving care at Hospital C). RESULTS: The final sample included 2,536 women (741 navigated, 1,795 non-navigated). Navigated women exhibited greater odds of obtaining subsequent screenings relative to women in the standard care group in adjusted models and analyses including women who received navigation before the initial appointment. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that low-intensity navigation services can improve follow-up screening among women who receive a noncancerous result. Further investigation is needed to confirm navigation's impacts on longitudinal screening.

Negative psychological consequences of breast cancer among recently diagnosed ethnically diverse women.

OBJECTIVE: Breast cancer has psychological consequences that impact quality of life. We examined factors associated with negative psychological consequences of a breast cancer diagnosis, in a diverse sample of 910 recently diagnosed patients (378 African American, 372 white, and 160 Latina). METHODS: Patients completed an in-person interview as part of the Breast Cancer Care in Chicago study within an average of 4 months from diagnosis. The Cockburn negative psychological consequences of breast cancer screening scale was revised to focus on a breast cancer diagnosis. Path analysis assessed predictors of psychological consequences and potential mediators between race/ethnicity and psychological consequences. RESULTS: Compared to white counterparts, bivariate analysis showed African American (ß = 1.4, P < .05) and Latina (ß = 3.6, P < .001) women reported greater psychological consequences. Strongest predictors (P < .05 for all) included unmet social support (ß = .38), and provider trust (ß = .12), followed by stage at diagnosis (ß = .10) and perceived neighborhood social disorder (ß = .09).The strongest mediator between race/ethnicity and psychological consequences was unmet social support. CONCLUSIONS: African American and Latina women reported greater psychological consequences related to their breast cancer diagnosis; this disparity was mediated by differences in unmet social support. Social support represents a promising point of intervention.

Confirmatory factor analysis and measurement invariance of the Child Feeding Questionnaire in low-income Hispanic and African-American mothers with preschool-age children.

Validation work of the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ) in low-income minority samples suggests a need for further conceptual refinement of this instrument. Using confirmatory factor analysis, this study evaluated 5- and 6-factor models on a large sample of African-American and Hispanic mothers with preschool-age children (n = 962). The 5-factor model included: 'perceived responsibility', 'concern about child's weight', 'restriction', 'pressure to eat', and 'monitoring' and the 6-factor model also tested 'food as a reward'. Multi-group analysis assessed measurement invariance by race/ethnicity. In the 5-factor model, two low-loading items from 'restriction' and one low-variance item from 'perceived responsibility' were dropped to achieve fit. Only removal of the low-variance item was needed to achieve fit in the 6-factor model. Invariance analyses demonstrated differences in factor loadings. This finding suggests African-American and Hispanic mothers may vary in their interpretation of some CFQ items and use of cognitive interviews could enhance item interpretation. Our results also demonstrated that 'food as a reward' is a plausible construct among a low-income minority sample and adds to the evidence that this factor resonates conceptually with parents of preschoolers; however, further testing is needed to determine the validity of this factor with older age groups.

The Great Recession, somatic symptomatology and alcohol use and abuse.

While most research has examined the long-term effects of alcohol consumption on health, the current study examines how health status impacts on drinking behavior. Using data from a national study conducted between 2010 and 2011 to assess the impact of the recession on drinking behavior, this study examines how economic hardships linked to the recent economic recession affect physical health, and how physical health may in turn affect alcohol use. Structural equation models were used to test the predicted associations. The data demonstrate that many of the economic stressors linked to the recession are associated with increased somatic symptoms. Somatic symptoms are also associated with increased drinking for men, but not for women. These findings suggest that men may use alcohol to self medicate somatic symptomatology. The current findings are consistent with gender role-based explanations that account for gender disparities in the utilization of medical care.